


Magic

by queen_of_iceni



Series: The Crossovers [2]
Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Auror Harry Potter, Crossover, Gen, Healed Artemis Fowl, Magic, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:01:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_of_iceni/pseuds/queen_of_iceni
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione are tracking a rogue death eater who disappears off the face of the earth - and then under it. When they follow him, they are shocked to find that they are not the only types of magic-wielders, and these new faces may be the only way they can defeat the death eater once and for all.NOTE: I hate JKR. A lot. no credit to her and if you support her, please don't interact. Also these two series obviously don't belong to me :)
Series: The Crossovers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2053734
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Empire Under the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Installment #2 of the Crossover Series. I know Artemis Fowl is not the biggest fandom but I love it with all my heart, so here it is.

Harry missed riding on the Tube. The wizarding Apparition was easier and faster, but it reminded him of the horror-filled days of chasing down the horcruxes. Harry hadn’t wanted to be an Auror all his life, certainly, after Voldemort, he had almost changed his mind again. But he found that returning to civilian life wasn’t easy, that the only way to keep the nightmares at bay was to throw himself into wizarding problems one after the other. The same problem - or, rather, person - had been reappearing in many different cities and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been tasked with dealing with it. 

‘The problem’ was a Death Eater by the name of Thorfinn Rowle. He was a powerful duelist and had managed to hold up against both Tonks and Lupin ( _ don’t think about the dead, Harry _ ) during the Battle of Hogwarts. After Voldemort had fallen to the ground, most of the Death Eaters had tried to flee, but the Ministry rounded them up. Rowle had been one of the lucky ones, managing to evade capture, until now of course. The three of them had the highest record of Death Eaters caught, partly because they were used to battling Dark Magic, and partly because they would not rest until they caught the perpetrator. Harry knew that everyone was traumatized at the hands of Voldemort and his followers, but the three of them had a special amount of trauma laid at their doorstep. Their understanding was the one thing keeping Harry from falling apart, and he knew it was a three-way street.

This Death Eater managed to pop up in several places, almost at the same time. Apparition was the obvious answer, but that amount of Apparition would be exhausting and basically impossible for any wizard. And though they had tried charm after charm, nothing was locating him from the safety of their homes, so the three of them trekked out to the last city he had been spotted: Dublin, Ireland.

“Do you think the Irish will hate us because we’re British?” Ron asked, once they successfully Apparated in the middle of an uninhabited country field. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “We just have to ask after Rowle, then leave. The Ministry specifically told us not to do anything hasty.”

“Yeah, ‘cause that doesn’t sound like us at all,” Ron snorted, “All right, where to?”

They looked at Hermione for guidance, since she generally had all the information.

“Don’t you two pay  _ any _ attention?” Hermione demanded and, when they didn’t reply, laughed. “Alright. The  _ Garda Siochana  _ is in cooperation with the Ministry, so they’ll tell us where he disappeared to. If we’re lucky, they’ll even have Apparition records.”

“We’re never lucky,” Ron muttered. Harry couldn’t help but agree, but he dutifully followed Hermione to the closest Guard station. Hermione asked a few questions of the front desk which got them into the back, but it was soon clear that they were just as confused by the whole situation as the trio.

“I don’t know,” Bretton Harper, the wizard-muggle liaison admitted. “We have who Apparated in and out of the city just around the time you’re saying and there is no Thorfinn Rowle.”

“But we have several eyewitness accounts matching his description,” Hermione protested, “Including different tattoos that are his. It’s got to be him.”

“It is,” Harper agreed, still amiable. “We have CCTV footage of him.”

“Then, where’d he come from, if he didn’t Apparate?” Harry pressed.

“No idea,” the man replied cheerfully. “That’s up to you to find out, isn’t it?”

“Listen,” Ron was definitely not as happy with this news as Harper. “Can we at least have a copy of the CTCV footage, then?”

“CCTV,” Hermione corrected under her breath, then turned pleading eyes on Harper. He hesitated, obviously unsure about whether or not they were authorized to see it.

“We come directly from the Ministry,” Harry reminded him, “We have several levels of clearance.”

Harper relented, handing them a DVD copy of the hours Rowle had spent in London. “Happy hunting,” he led them out of the building. “And here’s to catching the bastard.”

“Hear, hear,” Harry said half-heartedly. It had become hard to enjoy pursuing the countless offenders across countries, but this one held a certain taboo. He could easily have been the one to kill Lupin and Tonks ( _ don’t think about that, don’t think _ ). They walked a few blocks and settled in a small pub. The only people there were a couple who were off in their own world, drinking beer and laughing loudly, and the barkeeper, who was scrubbing the counter meticulously. They plopped into plushy red armchairs, and Hermione surreptitiously conjured a screen for them to watch on.

A blurry image presented itself, with the hulking figure of Rowle in the foreground. He glanced around nervously, but it appeared he walked into view, not Apparated. The camera switched, and it caught him buying supplies from a store - food, water, a jacket that could be a cloak at a stretch.

“He’s smart enough not to go into Diagon Alley, but, oh, I hope he  _ hates _ shopping at muggle stores,” Hermione said viciously. Harry murmured his agreement, but his focus was fixed on Rowle, whose Death Eater tattoo was well hidden from the camera. He left that shop and went to another, perusing through a bookstore. At one point, he pulled out a pocket watch, nodded at it, then put it away.

“What’s he checking the time for?” Harry wondered aloud. “Has he got a schedule?”

“That’d be funny,” Ron sniggered, “Hiding From The Ministry in ten minutes, gotta dash.”

“Watch,” Hermione reprimanded the two of them, rewinding the footage a few seconds. Rowle checked his watch again, then turned and practically ran out of the store. The view switched as he power-walked from one camera’s jurisdiction to another’s in a matter of seconds. Finally, he walked out of the city, and there were no more cameras to see him from.

“He didn’t Apparate,” Harry exclaimed, astounded. “He just… walked out!”

“Maybe he Apparated the minute he got out of the frame,” Hermione suggested.

“No,” Ron said thoughtfully, “A pure-blood like that wouldn’t know about CGBV... CC… whatever, ‘Mione. The point is, he doesn’t know about the cameras. He could’ve taken a Portkey, but they’re too easy to trace.  _ I _ think he’s using some sort of transportation.”

“A broom?” Harry said.

“No, too visible,” Hermione reasoned. “Some muggle could report a person flying on a broom overhead. Something else.”

“Something muggle, maybe?” Harry stood up. “Either way, we have to go to the spot and try to figure it out.”

They asked around, and a few regulars at a bar said that they often saw a man with a tattoo of a skull on his forearm go by. Out of everyone, only a few thought they remembered his whereabouts which, luckily, barely differed. The three of them boarded the bus he (hopefully) had taken earlier. It was cramped, but they managed to find seats, and Hermione read while Harry and Ron discussed the Quidditch finals. They got off at the last stop, which only had a coffee shop and a few souvenirs.

“Here?” Harry said distastefully. “Maybe he wanted to get away from the large crowds to Apparate.”

“See, the problem with the Death Eaters is that they’re rich, and used to being so, so they aren’t able to lay low in a grubby inn,” Hermione dropped a keychain. “That’s why they slip up, and we find them. But if Rowle has finally got the hang of living like a muggle…”

“Oh, the irony,” Ron grinned. “But, seriously, being an elite is ingrained into him. There’s no way he’d deign to grace this place with his presence.”

“Wait, guys,” Harry picked up the keychain Hermione had just discarded. “These are all advertising for Tara Hill. Why don’t we pay it a visit?”

Hermione pulled out her smartphone which, out of the three of them, she was the most adept at using. “It’s about a mile’s walk,” she complained. Harry shot her a lopsided grin.

“C’mon. It’ll be good for us.”

They made their way up and, after about twenty minutes, reached a place with a few tourists milling around.

“Why aren’t there hundreds of people here?” Hermione said. Ron shrugged.

“Maybe it’s past closing time.”

“It doesn’t have a closing time,” Hermione said. The boys stared at her. “What?” she said defensively. “I did some research on places that are famous in Ireland. It’s good to be prepared when you’re visiting a new country, so you don’t look like a total idiot.”

“But I  _ am _ an idiot,” Ron smiled ruefully. While Hermione was reassuring him that he was not, Harry was distracted by a shimmer in the distance.

“Guys, what is that?” he interrupted in a whisper. Immediately, the other two crouched behind a large oak tree directly in front of them. It could be mistaken for heat haze, but there was no heat haze in Ireland in August. Hermione cast a hasty cloaking charm over them and they watched in silence. To their amazement, a child solidified from the shimmer, bending down and burying something in the ground. Then, blue sparks flew up their fingertips, and their back arched, absorbing the power. Hermione made a move forward, but Harry held her back. The child disappeared into a blur, which slid behind one of the large boulders near it and was gone for good.

“What was that?” Hermione pondered, but the boys were already up and running towards the spot where the kid had vanished.

“Harry, look!” Ron pointed. There was an empty chute leading straight down through the ground. “Could Rowle have used this to get away?”

“Only one way to find out,” Hermione said, panting behind them. She cautiously slid in, then screamed as the floor fell away beneath her. Harry jumped in after her without a moment’s hesitation - probably not his smartest moment. Ron hastily cast a levitation charm on them, and Hermione returned the favor. Slowly, they lowered themselves down. It became hotter and hotter as they went farther, and the hole just kept extending downward. After fifteen minutes of floating down, the tunnel widened and emerged onto a platform. The three stepped out not a moment too soon. Behind them, fire rushed up the chute, lifting a giant compartment full of people upward. They gawked at the three humans.

“Bloody hell,” Ron breathed. Harry was speechless. In front of them, just underneath the surface of the earth, was a bustling civilization.


	2. Hunting in Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite Mud Boy and his gang meet the Golden Trio.

The Lower Elements Police Reconassaince (LEPRecon) had to deal with humans a fair amount, but never before had one come down to Haven of their own accord. Even Artemis Fowl was escorted the first time. Holly was dumbfounded when Commander Trouble Kelp briefed her that morning, ending with an apologetic nod.

“We’re sending you out to deal with it, since you have the most experience with humans,” he said. She knew the real reason - she could call in a favor from Artemis, who was what they really needed. She didn’t mind, really. After his death and subsequent resurrection, she had wanted to spend every spare second with him, anyway. And though she’d never admit it, she had been itching for an adventure. She called him up the moment she got back to the office. His voice sounded over their small communicators.

“Another crisis?” he sounded amused. 

“One of these days, I promise I’ll call you to chat,” Holly laughed. She couldn’t express how relieved she was that his tone was normal. For weeks after adjusting to the clone body, he always had a faint cloud of confusion around him, which was so un-Artemis-like that Holly had nearly tried to slap him back into himself. It lasted so long that Holly was afraid it would never go away, but for the past month or so, he had reverted completely to his old self. Perhaps a little too much, because his penchant for criminal activities had returned, but Holly found that these now endeared him to her, instead of the opposite.

“What is it this time?”

“A Mud Man has somehow traveled down to Haven, and been hiding out here ever since,” Holly said. “We were mostly fine letting him stay here, since he was lying low, but recently, he’s been acting up. He stole from several shops and then, this morning, he murdered an elderly pixie.”

“And you need my help to catch him?” Holly could feel Artemis shaking his head. “That isn’t something you’d bring me in for.”

“No,” Holly agreed, “We need you to identify him. Foaly… well, he can’t.”

Holly knew Artemis was smirking at the other end, “Give me a picture of him and an hour. I’ll get back to you.”

She sent him the blurry image of the tall human and prayed Artemis was as good as he thought he was. This was the first time she had called for his help after the ‘incident’ (his death). Just under an hour later, Artemis sent her a six-word text that filled her with dread.

_ I need to come to Haven. _

Holly relayed the message to Foaly, who arranged for a shuttle, then sent the time of the hotshot to Artemis. She assumed, correctly, that he would bring Butler with him, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw his huge frame first. She hugged Artemis, which he returned, albeit stiffly. He looked unchanged from the last time she’d seen him, black hair falling around his pale face, blue eyes sharp as ever, though now with a tinge of worry. He held up a small disk.

“Anywhere I could play this?” he asked, already moving towards the Op Booth. “My findings are troubling, to say the least.”

Foaly greeted the three of them with a swish of his tail and a gesture at the video screen. Artemis slid his disk into the correct slot, then turned to face the others.

“I did a database recognition for all the CCTV cameras in the UK and Ireland,” he began, “This man showed up in Dublin a day ago. According to the records of him popping up all over the world the past few weeks, his name is Thorfinn Rowle.”

“How does this not alarm the human police?” Holly crossed her arms.

“That’s what I was wondering,” Artemis continued, “So I dug a little deeper. Apparently, there is a branch of government termed ‘the Ministry of Magic’ who is in frequent contact with the Prime Minister and is handling the Rowle case. I investigated the Ministry and discovered we have a population of wizards living all around us.”

“Time out,” Foaly held his hands up. “Mud people with magic?”

“Yes,” Artemis clarified. “Butler and I were discussing it, and that’s the most likely possibility. They attend a magic school in Scotland that is shielded from non-magical humans, which they call muggles, and, obviously, the People. Rowle is one of them. A wizard.”

Holly’s mind was spinning, her world flipping this way and that. “How come this hasn’t even been on our radar before?”

“There are a couple of possible explanations,” Artemis switched the disk slide, presenting pictures of the aforementioned wizarding school, people, and some people flying around on broomsticks. “They are only recently trying to incorporate technology into their system, so this website is recent and easily hackable, meaning that before this there would have been no online trace of them. Besides that, they’ve just been through a war, which I found from the correspondence between their Minister of Magic and Britain’s Prime Minister. Rowle was on the losing side of the war, and is now fleeing the government in an attempt to avoid charges of murder and hate crimes.”

“He’s the only one?”

“He’s the only one who accidentally stumbled on Haven,” Artemis corrected. “There are plenty of others, most of whom have been rounded up, and a few are still loose in the muggle world.”

“So this mud man has a brand of magic we’ve never seen,” Holly said.

“Basically,” Artemis said, “Which means we should take him out before he notices us so he won’t have a chance to fight back.”

“That doesn’t require some elaborate scheme,” Foaly said, stomping his hooves nervously. Artemis chuckled at the centaur.

“No, in this case, it is simplicity itself,” he updated the disk to the next slide, which was a clear image of the wizard. He was tall, blonde, and had a horrible skull grinning up from his forearm. A long black cloak billowed behind him, and he grimaced at the camera. Underneath the large picture was a smaller one of him shooting green light at a fawn, while friends dressed similarly smirked in the background. Holly could feel her stomach turning in disgust. “I distract him, Butler disarms him, then Holly stuns him, and we keep him in custody.”

“Disarm?” that caught Holly’s attention. “What’s his weapon?”

Artemis raised an eyebrow, “Why, a wand, of course.”

“Frond, mud men are so cliche,” Foaly snorted. “All right, how’s Butler supposed to get this wand off him?”

“The old fashioned way,” Butler spoke up. “I can take him in a hand to hand fight easily.”

“Don’t you think I should stun him first?” Holly hefted her Neutrino. “Otherwise he might hurt Butler. Or  _ I _ could hurt Butler, come to think of it.”

“No, then he’ll be able to cast a shield charm, and I don’t think a Neutrino can blast its way through that,” Artemis explained. Holly tried to keep herself from sulking. She hated it when a good shot didn’t solve all her problems, though it was very rare that it did.

“Let’s get going then,” Holly said, just as an alarm started blaring loudly.

“Prisoners in custody,” Trouble announced over the loudspeaker. “Calling Major Holly Short to the Holding Facility.”

Holly ran from the office. She didn’t have to look behind her to know that Artemis and Butler were on her heels.

Huddled behind the glass wall that separated them from Holly, Butler, and Artemis, were two boys and a girl. One boy had messy black hair, with round glasses in front of bright green eyes. The other had a mop of red hair and freckles all over his face. His hand was intertwined with the girl, who had a mass of curly brown hair and a fierce gaze. Most notably, clutched in all of their fists were sticks of wood that looked a lot like-

“Wands,” Artemis breathed. “Fascinating. Holly, I believe these are wizards.”

“You believe bloody right!” the red one said angrily. “Now let us out! We haven’t broken any rules.”

Holly had a silent conversation with Butler and Artemis, and all three of them came to the same conclusion.  _ These people aren’t the main threat _ .

“We apologize,” Holly said quickly, stepping in front of a scowling Trouble. “Another one of your kind has been causing havoc on our streets. You understand why we were afraid to let you roam freely.”

“That, and mud people aren’t allowed in Haven,” Trouble hissed. Holly elbowed him to be quiet and he listened, albeit reluctantly.

“Mud people?” the girl bristled. " _What_ is that supposed to mean?"

“What are your names?” Holly ignored her question. The trio had their own wordless discussion, then answered.

“I’m Harry Potter,” the boy with round glasses said. “They are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.” 

“He’s telling the truth,” Foaly confirmed, “His pulse is steady, with no sweat. Also, I looked them up on that website Artemis was talking about. Apparently, they’re pretty famous.”

“We don’t mean you any harm,” Hermione added, “We actually want the same thing you do. We were chasing Rowle - the, erm, mud person - to detain him, and followed him here.”

Artemis eyed Holly, then turned his attention back to the three, who were now standing. “Will you help us take him down if we let you take him once he is in custody?”

Hermione glanced at the boys, then nodded. Holly turned to Trouble, who let them go, grumbling all the way. Honestly, he was turning more and more like Root every day, not that that was a bad thing. The three of them brushed off nonexistent dust.

“How did you know what we were?” Harry asked.

“I discovered the wizarding community while I was researching Rowle,” Artemis was already leading them back out into Police Plaza.

“Who are you, anyway?” Ron demanded. “You’re not a… well, whatever everyone here is.”

“There are lots of different species driven under the earth by humans, us, which they call mud people,” Artemis began a long-winded explanation, and Holly groaned.

“He’s a human who found us,” she cut in. “And has helped us out of quite a few tight spots. That’s his bodyguard, Butler. His name’s Artemis Fowl.”

“Artemis Fowl?” Hermione looked interested, “Your father was kidnapped from the Russian Mafia. It was all over the muggle news.”

“Yes,” Artemis inspected his cuticles, “The People helped me rescue him and, in return, I quashed a goblin rising.”

“A goblin-” Ron began, but Hermione whispered something to him that sounded like, ‘different goblins, I think,’ and Holly didn’t press. She fitted her helmet over her head, and Foaly’s voice crackled over her comms. 

“Alright, he’s near the Geranium Fields complex,” he said, “Can you get there?”

“We’ll use the Stick,” Holly informed them, and it was Arty’s turn to groan. The three wizards looked curiously at her.

“What’s the plan?” Hermione asked. 

Artemis was the one who responded, not Holly, “I’ll explain on the way. Six against one should be easy.”

_ Famous last words _ , Holly thought bitterly and hopped onto the conveyor belt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time for them to start working together :) I'm excited


	3. Allies and Adversaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang begin to trace Rowle and get a clue about his motives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mention of derogatory terms used w sex (skip the section in between the sentences lined w bold and the ending author's notes)

“What do you mean,  _ gone _ ?” Hermione gritted her teeth. The sprite behind the counter was unimpressed. 

“Gone means gone, dearie,” she checked her nails, which were a horrendous shade of swamp green. Hermione glanced at her friends, who were also glaring at the short woman. Everything in Haven was short, and though Hermione had a hard time keeping from bumping her head, Butler couldn’t even enter the building without breaking a hole in the wall. He had protested letting his charge go inside without him but agreed to watch the door when no alternative presented itself. Hermione wished he were in here - surely, he would intimidate this impertinent fool into telling them where he went. Luckily, some of their new comrades stepped in.

“I don’t care if you distrust these Mud People, Claudia,” Holly snapped. Hermione noticed the nametag a second later and silently applauded her for the personal jab. “I am a Major in the LEP, and you are obstructing a police investigation, which can result in up to fifty years in prison.” 

**“I know who you are,”** Claudia pulled out a bottle of nail polish the same color as her nails. “Holly Short, eh? Rogue half the time, reinstated at every crisis. And her Mud Whore, Artemis Fowl.”

Holly stiffened as she heard the sprite utter the last insult. Hermione wasn’t sure she had heard right. Artemis and Holly might have a connection, but there was no way Artemis would ever be anyone’s ‘whore’ and, even if he was, they were trying to do something good. Hermione remembered Rita Skeeter twisting Harry’s every move, how even now some people in the wizarding world distrusted Hermione for playing with his feelings in their fourth year. One scandal and the public would lap it up and shout in mobs at doorsteps. That must be what happened with Holly and Artemis though, judging by her surprised expression, the sexual part was new to Holly. Artemis was less taken aback - he had probably expected it - but he was still livid. **Hermione was worried he might ruin the investigation, so she stepped in.**

“It doesn’t really matter what you think about them, or us,” she said primly, “Either way, you end up in jail if you don’t tell us where our target went. He’s a fugitive from both us and the People, and you don’t want two whole worlds to know you as the one who aided and abetted him.”

Claudia tensed, looking at their faces, “Fine. He checked in upstairs about a week ago. Provided enough money to cover the fee, then some more, ‘cause he was a Mud Man. He came back this morning, muttering about ministries or something like that. He checked out ten minutes later, carrying the only bag he had taken with him. Went that way,” she pointed out in the street to the right of them, then noticed Butler for the first time. “Holy hell. That one’s big.”

Holly snapped her fingers in front of the woman’s face, “We’re going to search his room.”

“I-” Claudia began to protest, but Holly lifted her Neutrino threateningly. “Okay, whatever. Try not to mess it up.”

“You really need to work on your diplomacy,” Artemis remarked once they had retreated from the counter. Hermione could only agree, but Holly’s skill lay more in the ‘shoot first, ask questions later,’ which could come in handy.

“Not all of us can search the room, some should go after Rowle,” Hermione reasoned.

“I’ll look at the room,” Artemis volunteered. Hermione looked at him, surprised.

“I was going to,” she said. 

“I’m not good in combat,” he explained, “I would be a burden. I’m better at… the thinking side of things.”

“No offense to ‘Mione, but she is, too,” Ron countered. “Who says you’re smarte-”

“Enough,” Hermione said briskly. Artemis unnerved her, it was true, but there was no reason to act like a child because of it. “Artemis and I will search his room, while you all try to track down Rowle. Artemis and Holly can stay in touch.”

“Sounds good,” Harry said supportively. Holly looked concerned at leaving Artemis, so Hermione added,

“Butler can stay with us, for protection.” 

“Okay,” Holly agreed reluctantly. 

The two of them ascended the stairs, each observing the other and acutely aware that they themselves were being studied as well. Hermione saw the vampire-like boy, his scary genius, his ruthless streak, but no one as noble as Butler or Holly would stick around if he didn’t have any goodness. And he appeared to be at the People’s beck and call, so he held a certain regard for the species. There was a mask he had adopted when he separated from Holly, with Butler still outside. They didn’t attempt conversation. 

Rowle’s apartment was on one of the lower levels, though still nice enough. It was clear he had left in a hurry. There were sheets strewn half off the bed, as though he had jumped out. Various newspapers littered the floor, with names circled and hurried notes jotted in the margins. Hermione picked up the one nearest to her and read his nearly illegible scrawl.

“ _ Spotted by Ministry, stay in hiding for two more days. Stop experiments for three days, give no reason to suspect _ , ” she said aloud. “What experiments?’

“He refers to them throughout the clippings,” Artemis discovered, as he sifted through a large pile on Rowle’s nightstand. “ _Experiments restarted. Unexpectedly ruined my right hand._ ”

“What was he trying to accomplish?” Hermione wondered, “He said he developed a tick in his right eye on… June 30th. That’s not recent.”

“Relatively,” Artemis agreed, dropping his paper to read the one she had found over her shoulder. “Why did he leave all this behind, if it’s so important that he records what happened?”

“Maybe he was in a rush?” Hermione asked, throwing it aside. Artemis strode over to his bed and threw the covers off in one movement. A vial fell out, clear liquid shaking inside. Artemis uncapped it and smelled it. Hermione reached out to stop him, but his eye seemed in no danger of twitching. He smirked.

“Spring water from Tara,” he proclaimed, slipping the vial in his pocket. “Very magical. If he left this behind, he was in a rush indeed.”

“Why did he need spring water?” Hermione asked. “Was he trying to… make himself magical? Your kind of magical, I mean.”

Artemis frowned, “That’s likely. This would be a good start, at least a preparation, if that was his goal.”

“Artemis?” Hermione had a sudden brainwave, accompanied by dread. “What if he didn’t leave because he was in a rush?”

“What do you-” Artemis paused, eyes darting around the room. “Ah. You think he achieved his goal, that’s why he left his notes behind.”

“If he’s already done it, there’s no need to take anything with him,” Hermione said. “And murdering that fairy… that could have been a test.”

“If so, he has an end goal and is trying to reach it right now,” Artemis thought aloud, “What could that be?”

“I assume to exterminate the residents of Haven,” Hermione did some thinking of her own, “They’re very similar to the creatures their group was trying to eradicate above the surface.”

“He doesn’t have a specific plan,” Artemis mused. “He doesn’t know there are wizards who followed him down here. He probably thinks that a simple shielding spell will protect him from a Neutrino blast.”

“Will it?” Hermione turned to the door with a sudden urgency.

“I don’t know,” Artemis said, “There’s only one way to find out. Actually, there are several, but it is a quaint colloquialism.”

Hermione was already out the door, “Get the message to Holly, Artemis. We’ll inform Butler on the way.”

She heard Artemis chuckle from behind her, “Very well, Miss Granger.”

She felt a glow of pride, but it was quickly overcome with a cold feeling she was used to - worry. Her best friends were running off into danger and she wasn’t with them to protect the two idiots. Smart idiots, but idiots all the same. The worry fueled her, and they were out of the hotel in no time, Artemis panting while trying to keep up with her. As they ran, everything flew out of her head except for a familiar feeling, one she thought she hated but, it turned out, she found exhilarating.

Danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two points - one, ive always found it interesting to know what the People think of artemis and holly. i find it hard to believe that they accept that they're friends since there was so much animosity btwn the two so... the whole 'whore' thing happened. secondly, I do think that the golden trio have always been so immersed in danger that they don't know what to do when they're out of it (along w the ptsd that accompanies it). so maybe Hermione doesn't necessarily LIKE danger, but its familiar.


	4. Out of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Butler takes the lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long to update! school just started and I've been trouble keeping on top of everything :) thanks for bearing with me

Butler couldn’t gather any information on their sprint. Artemis and Hermione were both fighting for breath by just running, and he wasn’t about to stop them and ask what was happening. Still, he would like to know what they were rushing into, and how he could protect Artemis. Honestly, a whole other world with a whole other kind of magic - it was enough to make a bodyguard’s head whirl but, after all, he wasn’t just anyone’s bodyguard. He was Artemis’ bodyguard and that meant being prepared for everything. 

“Butler?” a tiny voice in his ear said. “Where are you guys? We’ve got a read on him. An officer spotted him just outside a shop on Lilo Street.”

“We’re on our way,” Butler replied. “Holly, what’s going on?”

He heard a faint laugh, and then, “Apparently the Mud Man’s trying to combine the two types of magic. Or… has already combined, as the case may be.”

Butler swore softly. This was  _ not _ good. He relayed the information to Artemis who, with the map of Haven practically memorized, veered off onto a different street. The two were slowing down, and, though the situation was far from funny, Butler couldn’t help but want to chuckle at the fact that his charge wasn’t the only non-athletic one anymore. 

“We’re here,” Artemis gasped, trying to keep his gulping breaths quiet. “He’s just around the corner.”

Butler peered around the corner of an enormous building and saw the man everyone had so desperately been tracking lounging in front of a cafe. He was leaning against the wall, and the dark skull tattoo on his forearm was clearly visible as he finished off a bag of crisps. He was broad-shouldered and tall, but not as tall as Butler. His thin blonde hair was cut close to his head which gave him the impression of a huge neck when, in reality, he only had a small head. He was dressed in a cloak-like jacket and jeans and he looked, Butler thought, unhappy and twisted. 

“Holly, where are you?’ Butler asked urgently.

“On the corner of Lilo and March,” Holly said, “What about you guys?”

“We’re at the crossing with Vivan,” Artemis said, then, to Butler and Hermione, “They’re on the other side of the street.” 

“What is he doing?” Hermione said curiously. “He doesn’t look like he’s up to anything bad.”

As though Rowle had waited for that cue, he stood up properly, stretched, and began to speak. His voice boomed across the street, probably magically magnified, and its message was not one Butler was happy with.

“Citizens of Haven, beware. I will kill each and every one of you and love every second. I will rid the earth of you foul plague, and when I am finished, I will burn this city to the ground,” he broke off laughing.

“He’s insane!” Hermione whispered, horrified.

“Also, rather foolish,” Artemis pointed out calmly. “Why would he announce that plan to the street? And why not the whole city?”

“You’re right, that’s weird,” Hermione stepped back thoughtfully, “If he’s going to announce his evil plan, you’d think he’d do it in a more public place, not this random cafe. Unless there were something here to draw his interest.”

“Holly?” Butler tapped his comm. “Anything special on this street that we should know about?”

“Aside from the giant bomb located in the building you’re hiding behind, no,” Holly said and, despite the attempt at a joke, Butler could hear the tension in her voice. “Butler, that bomb is there to destroy the city. It’s in case the Mud Men ever find us so we can evacuate and then destroy all traces of ourselves. But if we’re still in the city it’ll kill everyone inside it and then some.”

“It’s got to be difficult to set off, yes?” Artemis asked, his eyes closed. “Opal never tried it.”

“Well, it’s remote-controlled, so it’ll go off at the push of a very guarded button,” Holly ruminated. “But if that was missing, we’d know. Manually, it would take up his life force’s worth of magic. That’s why no fairy would attempt it.”

“What if you had double the magic?” Butler asked grimly, though he knew the answer. There was no reply. Artemis opened his eyes.

“We have to stop him from getting to the bomb.”

A new voice, one Butler recognized as Harry’s, came over the comm now.

“Got it,” he said, “So, do we all attack at once, or…?”

Butler looked at his charge, only to find an unusual expression of uncertainty there. Battle plans, while not unknown to him, were not his forte.

“I’ll go out first,” Butler decided, “I’m a big target. I’ll distract him. Then, Harry and Holly, you hit him with your magic - hopefully, that’s enough to take him down. If not, Hermione and Ron serve as a backup. Artemis, get to the bomb and protect it as best you can.”

“Butler, what if you’re hurt?” Artemis put a hand on his arm. Butler smiled down at him, trying his best to disguise his worry, though he knew his charge could see right through it. 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Butler said. “There’s no better idea, and you know it, Artemis.”

Artemis withdrew his hand. He did know it.

“Is everyone alright with this?” he asked, and he heard murmured approval of his plan over his comm.

“On my count,” he said, “3...2...1...GO!”

He burst out of hiding, charging down the street at the not-very intimidating figure of Thorfinn Rowle. The man turned towards him and grinned maliciously. Then two bolts of magic flew at him - one from the man’s hand and one from a stick in it. Butler managed to dodge the first but was hit by the second. A wave of excruciating pain rolled over him, and he nearly fell to the ground. He was on fire, he was dying, he was in agony, but he had a  _ mission _ . He pushed through the pain. Every step was like treading over broken glass covered in chemicals, he was crawling, his joints were broken, his muscles had been torn apart, he was dragging himself forward, he vomited and the world went black.

When he came to, he found Holly and Artemis kneeling over him. Holly’s hand was laid over his chest, and he could feel the warmth and healing emanating from it. Artemis’ face was pinched but cleared slightly when Butler opened his eyes fully.

“Old friend, you gave us quite the scare,” Artemis said lightly. Too lightly.

“What is it? What went wrong?”

“Well, just about everything,” Holly sat back, and Butler immediately felt achy. “You went down with what Hermione said was the Cruciatus Curse, a torture kind of magic. After that, Harry tried to hit him with magic, but he blocked with the other type of magic, and I was just fighting to get to you-”

“You should have gone after him,” Butler reprimanded.

“You would’ve died,” Artemis said shortly. “Right now, he is making his way towards the bomb, with only Harry, Hermione, and Ron to stop him. If you’ll excuse us, we must join them.”

Butler struggled upwards, “I’m coming.”

“You can’t,” Holly said apologetically. “Butler you’re in no state to travel. Noble as it is, you’d only slow us down. Time is something we don’t have a lot of right now.”

“But I-” Butler took a deep breath. This was something he had dreaded for a long time. “You better stay in constant contact with me. I’m going to make my way back to Police Plaza. I’ll tell Foaly what’s happening, and hopefully, we can help from that end.”

Artemis’ face relaxed completely. Oh, how the tables had turned. “Good idea, old friend. We’ll meet you back there.”

“Yes,” Butler said softly. “You will.”


	5. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who will win the final battle - the newly and hastily formed team, or the Deatheater in possession of two kinds of magic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final chapter! sorry it took so long and is a cliche but, hey, I love cliches so there's that

Ron hated running into danger headfirst. They had just gotten out of a war and now they were rushing to stop another one. Hermione was concentrating on running, and Harry’s face was set with grim determination that Ron recognized all too well. The three of them were used to this, sure, but that didn’t mean that they liked it. In fact, Merlin, he hated this.

“Up there!” Harry pointed to the corridor ahead. Where once the light around them had been dimming, now Ron saw that another light source - and heat source - was glowing ahead of them. Outlined by the bomb’s glow, Rowle’s silhouette was standing still, facing the oncoming trio.

“Harry Potter,” he sneered. “And his loyal sidekicks Ron and Hermione. The one’s who destroyed all that was pure in the world to protect disgusting, filthy little Mudbloods.”

None of them even bothered to reply. They hit Rowle with three different curses simultaneously. He fought them off, but Ron sent jinx after jinx in his direction, alternating with Hermione as Harry sent random spells his way in no particular pattern. He was beginning to tire, Ron could see, until -

“Who’s there?” Ron didn’t stop cursing, but he heard footsteps running behind them.

“It’s us!” the panting voice of Artemis. Ron almost relaxed. At that very moment, Rowle lunged out, hitting him with magic squarely in the chest. Ron could feel that this wasn’t wizarding magic, this was fairy magic, and it was crackling over his skin. He was bound in place. Hermione screamed his name but narrowly avoided being hit with another spell. Holly cast up some sort of protective barrier, but Rowle destroyed it with two blasts.

“You think you can stand against me, scum?” Rowle cackled. “You remind of another, lower than dirt, who thought he could beat me,” he cast a nasty eye on Harry, and Ron knew what was coming. Holly edged closer towards Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder “Remus Lupin, the fucking pathetic dog and his bitch, Tonks. I killed them where they stood.”

Harry howled. Magic burst from Harry, but it wasn’t coming from his wand. It wasn’t even Harry’s magic. Ron’s eyes widened. Holly’s magic was flowing  _ through _ Harry. And it was wounding Rowle. It weakened the Death Eater enough that Ron was freed from his magical bonds, and he fought towards the two of them. He laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder and magic burst from every pore. He didn’t know whose magic it was, what it was, but they were sharing their magic, the combined three powers beating Rowle down. Ron vaguely felt a hand on his shoulder - Hermione? Artemis? and there was more magic, and then more and Ron was almost full to bursting and  _ Rowle didn’t stand a chance _ .

Ron was filling up, every ounce of him was magic. He didn’t have room for organs, for blood, for bones, he was purely magic, a ball of power, fluidly moving through his friends. There was no him, there was no them, there was only one being, pure magic.

Then it was too much. There wasn’t enough Ron for the magic. There wasn’t enough, it was too much, it was not enough, he was going to  _ die _ .

Ron awoke in a hospital. It seemed like a Muggle hospital. 

“Hey, Mud Wizard?” the centaur chuckled. “You up?”

“Is everyone okay? What happened?” Ron sat bolt upright. “Where are they?”

“Calm down,” the centaur held up his hands. “Your friends are fine. My friends are fine. The city is fine. Thorfinn Rowle is not fine. Hi, I’m Foaly, the technical consultant of the LEP.”

“Ron Weasley,” Ron answered shakily, though he knew Foaly already knew who he was. “Where is everyone?”

“Right over there,” Foaly nodded his head towards the beds beside Ron. He hadn’t noticed, but a dark head full of hair was barely visible over a few covers. The hair was unmistakable - it was Harry’s. Hermione came running into the room a second later, her bushy hair flying behind her. Ron’s heart lifted to see her.

“You’re awake!” she kissed his cheek. “I woke up first, then Artemis, now you. I think whoever touched Harry the longest will be asleep for the longest, since they used up the most power.”

“So, Holly and Harry,” Ron noticed Artemis, lounging in a chair by the other occupied bed in the room. He couldn’t spy Holly’s small frame but he knew she was there. “So this is the elf Hospital, huh?”

“It’s a sophisticated clinic,” Foaly corrected. “We made a few adjustments for your human size and it practically works the same way. You all weren’t injured, just exhausted. You just needed time.”

“Somehow we combined our magic through sheer will, and a common goal,” Hermione explained, finally acting upon Ron’s desire to know what happened. “Our magic combined was enough to defeat Rowle’s own combination of fairy and wizarding magic. Our power could have set off the bomb, but luckily Butler reached the LEP in time for them to figure out a way for them to remotely disable it.”

“Why would you have a giant bomb in your city?” Ron demanded, turning to Foaly.

“Mud People aren’t known for a history of peacemaking, especially with other species,” Foaly sighed. “It may seem drastic to you, but we  _ must _ keep our existence a secret, except from a select few. Which brings me to this: You all will have to be mind-wiped.”

Artemis appeared to have heard that and stood up. “Foaly, I truly believe these people can be trusted.”

“It’s only through repeated exposure to us and the knowledge that you’ve saved us many times that we’ve allowed  _ you _ to remember us, Fowl,” Foaly crossed his arms. “We only need one human consultant. Besides, it’s not up to me.”

“It’s up to the Council,” Butler had entered the room. “Who, luckily, have changed their minds.”

“What did you do?” Holly had awoken and the first words she spoke were directed at Artemis. She was glaring at him. He gave her a vampire-like smile.

“I pulled a few strings,” then, to Ron and Hermione. “You’re welcome.”

“Why?” Hermione asked softly. 

“We might need you in the future,” Artemis shrugged, then scratched the back of his neck. “And, besides, after that experience I did not want your heroics forgotten.”

Ron knew what he meant. He felt connected to Holly and Artemis in a way that should take years of building a relationship. Somehow, sharing their magic had bared a part of their souls together, and he couldn’t forget it, even if he tried.

“Thanks, mate,” he said with half a grin.

“What?” Harry was groggily groping around for his glasses, which Hermione supplied him with. “We all survived, then?”

“Yeah,” Ron let out a partially hysterical laugh. “Yeah, we did.”

“You’re saying that Rowle burned himself alive?” Shacklebolt raised a single eyebrow. “After having successfully evaded all of our Aurors, he simply killed himself?”

“Well, he didn’t successfully evade all your Aurors,” Ron said cheerfully. “Not us.”

Shacklebolt covered his face with a hand for half a second, before eyeing the three of them again. Then, abruptly, he smiled and waved his hand.

“I don’t care how you did it,” he announced. “You three have a way of doing the impossible. Alright. I have your next assignment here if you’re ready.”

“Actually,” Ron folded his arms. “We’d like a little bit of leave.”

Shacklebolt froze, “Leave?”

“The situation is under control,” Hermione put in hurriedly. “We wouldn’t go otherwise. And it will only be for a few w-”

“It’s absolutely fine,” he shook his head. “I’m just surprised. This is the first time since the end of the war that you’ve requested leave. Take all the time you need. I’ll let the other Order members know not to disturb you.”

As they left, Ron watched his two friends. He had been the one to suggest the time off and it had taken a lot of convincing, but he knew it was for the best. They finally had someone to watch their backs - a whole civilization they could call on - and it was time to face the horrors. They couldn’t keep running forever. If the past caught up with them before they faced it, they’d end up just like Rowle.

“What do you guys want to do?” Harry asked slowly, as though it was impossible to contemplate a life outside of fighting. Ron supposed it was. “Where should we go?”

“There’s only one place  _ to _ go,” Ron said. “If we’re going to heal, we should do it properly.”

“Hogwarts, then?” Hermione said, taking a handful of Floo powder out of the pot beside the Ministry fireplace. Ron and Harry looked at each other, then nodded.

“Hogwarts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! thank you so much for reading :)


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